The Foundation Program

The new Foundation Program class will begin Monday March 24, and will be held at the Center (322 8th ave, entrance on 26th st., fifth floor) on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, taught by Taina Rodriguez, one of our most experienced teachers.  The book we will be studying is Universal Compassion. 

The class on March 24 will be an introduction to the Foundation Program in general and to the book Universal Compassion itself.  After that, you will be welcome to attend three more classes before deciding whether or not to formally enroll in the program.

About Universal Compassion

Universal Compassion by Geshe Kelsang, a beautiful book on Lojong, or training the mind, is a perfect manual for bringing your practice to life.  Universal Compassion contains sections on developing pure love, perfecting the mind of compassion, developing Bodhichitta- the supreme good heart, and one of the most accessible and profound explanations of Emptiness to be found anywhere.  There is also a wonderful section containing a wealth of practical advice on how to practice in daily life, transforming all problems into the spiritual path.

Length of study, prerequisites, and cost.

The Foundation Program is a structured study program designed to enable the student to gain a deeper understanding and experience of Buddha's teachings. When joining the FP, you commit to completing the text that is being studied (or a section of the text if it is one of the longer ones). The length of the course will therefore depend on many factors, but we can say with confidence that Universal Compassion will likely take 12 to 18 months to complete. 

The class will meet every Monday night, and attendance is required. Each week there will be reading assignments from the text and discussion on the week's reading. If students were to miss class repeatedly, they would fall behind in the readings and the discussion aspect of the class would be disrupted.

The cost of the class is $15 per week, but many Foundation Program students opt for the monthly card option from Chakrasambara Center that enables them to pay $80 a month and attend unlimited classes. For someone attending more than one class a week, this would be a savings.

It is recommended that you pick up a copy of Universal Compassion by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for this first class. You can purchase this at the Chakrasambara Center bookstore or on-line at http://tharpa.com/us/books.php. This book will be required reading for the program.

The Foundation Program is a structured study program designed to enable the student to gain a deeper understanding and experience of Buddha's teachings.  With weekly reading assignments from the text, as well as discussions and meditations on the week's readings, the FP creates the conditions for us to develop deep inner experience of the teachings.

If you are interested in taking part in this program, please contact Matthew, the Eduction Program Coordinator at CBC, by e-mailing epc@meditationinnewyork.org